Air and leaves are not yet crisp
but dampened by drizzle.
Still waiting for blustery autumnal
air, the forest glimmers and jostles
with lichens and leafy colour,
glossy conkers, russet apples,
bright red hips and haws: a fine
October banquet for birds and squirrels.
Kim M. Russell, 7th October 2019

My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads October: When Poets Dream, Lament and Sing
Sanaa is our host this Monday. She shares Hal Borland’s and Maud Montgomery’s thoughts on a favourite time of the year and a poem by W.S. Mervin, entitled ‘The Love for October’, which really spoke to me. Sanaa wants us to take inspiration from all three and write a poem about October, choosing our own form or writing in free verse. I seem to have written an octet-quadrille!
Delicious, KR. Thanks!
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Thank you, Ron!
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I have just learnt what hips and haws are! And I love the names!
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🙂
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Such exquisite images in this one, Kim! ❤️ I especially love; “the forest glimmers and jostles with lichen and leafy colour,” thank you so much for writing to the prompt 😍😍
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Thank you, dear Sanaa! 🙂
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What a delicious autumnal feast – a real pleasure
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Thank you, Jae!
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Worth waiting for! (K)
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Thanks Kerfe!
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Such a gorgeous time of year! A banquet indeed………..
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Thank you, Sherry!
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In the weekend we picked some haws and for Christmas there will be homemade sloe gin…
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Rose hip syrup and jelly, um!
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Love the image you chose and your lush description of October!
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Thank you, Helen!
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…and for the human soul Kim — wonderful!
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Thanks Rob!
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I can see those leaves waiting for a disturbance of some sort. Either laying where they fell or in small piles similar to slightly drifted snow.
..
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I’m still waiting for the trees in our garden to behave in a more autumn-like manner! Everywhere else there are colourful leaves.
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Lovely, Kim, cracks like an apple with sound and leaves with such a satisfying slant of rhyme.
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Cheers Brendan!
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I think I took this October walk today!
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🙂
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Such a beautiful image! Sigh!
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Thank you, Sreeja!
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A banquet, indeed!
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😊
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I can just smell this poem!
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😊
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Have to look up “hips and haws”. Delicious October.
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